Australia is a breeding ground for inventive filmmakers. Alex Proyas, Baz Luhrmann, Jennifer Kent, Paul Currie, and, of course, the incomparable George Miller all hail from that country (and this list is very truncated). In his feature-length debut, The Matriarch, Jayden Creighton proves he has what it takes to be mentioned with the likes of those listed. This is horror in the creepiest, most frightening sense: terrifyingly realistic and unapologetically raw.
Kate Logan delivers a spine-chilling performance as the unhinged mother in The Matriarch, captured mid-rage in one of the film’s most intense sequences.
“Now, her mom is wielding a knife, trying to kill Missy…”
Missy (Juliette Greenfield) is a 13-year-old who lives in rural Australia. She is a good student overall, but has been having trouble staying awake in class lately. The reason for this is due to abuse at the hands of her drug-addicted mom, Annette (Kate Logan). When Missy gets home one day, she discovers that her mom’s boyfriend has been released from prison and is moving in. The problem is that the boyfriend, Trent (Andy Sparnon), is the scummiest kind of person who wants to have his way with little Missy. She kills him in self-defense, but the sight of the “only person who was good to her” sends Annette over the edge. Now, her mom is wielding a knife, trying to kill Missy, who is using all the crawlspaces and crannies to stay hidden.
When I first read the synopsis of The Matriarch, I did scoff a bit at it being sold as a horror flick. Based on the provided synopsis, I was expecting a thriller in the same vein as Run (highly recommend). But I was utterly wrong. Writer-director Creighton has delivered a shockingly intense and absolutely scary movie. The tone is ominously set when Missy explains to her well-intentioned teacher why she’s falling asleep in class. The sense of unease intensifies when Missy declines a friend’s invitation to come over, claiming her mom is still sick. These two scenes are so unsettling because of how obvious it is that the lead character is lying to hide a secret… but what is that secret? Once the mayhem is unleashed, the director maintains the tension without dragging out the action. Every chase is filled with dread, and each moment where Missy needs to stay quiet is unbearably suspenseful. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff in a literal way.
"…one of the best horror films of the year."
